 NASA image of Jaluit Atoll | |
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  Jaluit | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Pacific |
| Coordinates | 05°55′18″N169°38′33″E / 5.92167°N 169.64250°E /5.92167; 169.64250 |
| Archipelago | Ralik |
| Total islands | 91 |
| Area | 11.34 km2 (4.38 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,409 (2021) |
| Ethnic groups | Marshallese |
| Official name | Jaluit Atoll Conservation Area |
| Designated | 13 July 2004 |
| Reference no. | 1389[1] |
Jaluit Atoll (Marshallese:Jālwōj,[tʲælʲ(o)wɤtʲ], orJālooj,[tʲælʲoːtʲ][2]) is a largecoral atoll of 91 islands in thePacific Ocean and forms alegislative district of theRalik Chain of theRepublic of the Marshall Islands. Its totalland area is 11.34 square kilometers (4.38 sq mi), and it encloses alagoon with an area of 690 square kilometers (270 sq mi). Most of the land area is on the largestislet (motu) ofJaluit (10.4 km2). Jaluit is approximately 220 kilometers (140 mi) southwest ofMajuro. Jaluit Atoll is a designated conservation area andRamsar Wetland.
In 2021 the population of the islands of Jaluit Atoll was 1,409.[3] It was the formeradministrative seat of the Marshall Islands.
The British merchant vesselRolla sighted Jaluit in 1803.[4] She had transportedconvicts from Britain toNew South Wales and was on her way to China to find a cargo to take back to Britain.
In 1885, theGerman Empire annexed Jaluit Atoll and the other Marshall Islands as protectorate.[5] From 1888 to 1906 the islands were administered by theJaluit Company on behalf of Germany’s colonial government. German imperial commissars (Kaiserliche Kommissare) included:
AfterWorld War I, the island became a part of theSouth Seas Mandate, amandated territory of theEmpire of Japan, and was the seat of the Japanese administration over the Marshall Islands. Immigrants from Japan numbered several hundred by the 1930s. DuringWorld War II the island's Japanese garrison consisted of 1,584 men of theImperial Japanese Navy and 727 men of theImperial Japanese Army.[6] The island was bombed on at least five occasions in November and December 1943 byB-24 Liberator bombers of theUSAAF7th Air Force. The island became part of the vast USNaval Base Marshall Islands.
From World War II until 1986, Jaluit came under the control of the United States as part of theTrust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
After World War II, the United States was engaged in aCold Warnuclear arms race with theSoviet Union.[7] The population ofBikini Atoll had agreed in 1945 to temporarily relocate to allow the U.S. to test then-new nuclear weapons at Bikini, which they were told were of great importance to humankind.[8]
The displaced islanders struggled for survival at several other Marshall Islands, includingRongerik Atoll,Ujelang Atoll,Kwajalein Atoll, andKili Island.[9][10] A decade later the U.S. suggested that some of the Bikini Islanders move to Jaluit. Three families moved there to producecopra for sale and other families rotated living there later on. Their homes on both Kili and Jaluit were struck by typhoons during 1957 and 1958, sinking their supply ship and damaging crops.[11]
Jaluit remained under the control of the United States until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.
Jaluit Atoll's lagoon is shaped roughly like akite.
The islet ofJabor (Jebwad,[tʲɛbˠ(ɔ)wɑrʲ][12]) has the largest population center on Jaluit Atoll, with a population of approximately 1,200. The island features a small hotel, small stores that sell staple foods, and a gasoline station. Jabor is a base for commercial and sports fishing, where motorboats can be rented. Snorkeling spots are around the sunken dock by the airport and in the northern pass into the lagoon.The island of Jabor is the center of product that many islander drop by to buy food and materials to prepare their kids for the next school semester.
Imiej (Im̧wej,[imwi̯etʲ][12]) is an islet a 45-minute boat ride from Jabor. It used to be the headquarters for theImperial Japanese Navy garrison and was a majorseaplane base. The ruins of the power station, barracks,antiaircraft guns and aShinto shrine remain.
Marshall Islands Public School System operates public schools.
High schools:[13]
Primary schools:[15]
Private schools:Jabor has St. Josephs, attached to theCatholic Church.
Jaluit Airport is served byAir Marshall Islands.
Jaluit istwinned with:
New Taipei City, Taiwan, since 2019
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| Geographic | |
